Feelings into Words
by Miyuki Wynter
Summary: Izaya gets sick, and Shinra convinces Shizuo to stay with him while he recovers. (This was my first ever fic and the first time I ever completed a work, so spare yourself the awful unrealistic plot and don't read this it's too embarrassing. I will keep this fic up mainly for sentimental reasons, but really, turn back now. Go read one of my more recent fics. They're so much better)
1. Chapter 1

Izaya's eyes opened slowly, his vision a little blurry as he scanned the familiar surroundings of his office. He groaned as he pulled himself up on the L shaped couch to a sitting position. His head—no, his entire body hurt. He coughed a few times, which intensified the pains in his chest. He groaned, and flopped back down on the couch. Since when had breathing become so difficult of a task?

Izaya had fallen asleep on the couch in his office the night before after meeting with a few clients. It had been a busy night for the informant, who planned to pull an all-nighter to catch up on his work. He had been putting off his meetings with clients in favor of seeking out a certain blonde ex-bartender who provided Izaya with endless entertainment. Now his procrastination was coming back to bite him in the ass. He planned multiple meetings in one night in a desperate attempt to make up for lost time. In hindsight, that probably wasn't a good idea considering it had been a cold night, and most of the meetings took place in dark and damp alleyways. It also didn't help that one of his clients was obviously extremely sick on top of everything.

"Whatever happened to being considerate towards other people when you're sick?" Izaya mused to himself. Slowly, he sat up again and took out his cell phone. He searched his contacts and found the number he had been looking for, pressing the call button next to Shinra's name. The call went straight to voice mail.

"Damn it Shinra! What kind of doctor turns off his phone?" Izaya coughed some more thinking that Shinra was probably trying to enjoy a nice day off with Celty. Izaya forced himself to stand up and walk away from the couch which almost seemed to be calling to his aching limbs. He tore himself away from the idea of sleeping the day away in favor of getting to Shinra's place where he could get some meds so he could at least get some computer work done. Izaya wrote a quick note for Namie, telling her to take the day off. He pulled his coat on, and faced the cold autumn air that seemed to blow straight through him. He shivered slightly. This was going to be a long trip.

Shizuo had just re-gained his composure after throwing yet another vending machine straight up into the air, only to have it smash down barely a foot behind the crumpled mass of a man cowering on the ground in front of Shizuo. The man had been yelling something about needing the money to help his sick mother or something along those lines, but Shizuo didn't pay much attention. It was always the same thing. Tom would ask for them to return the money, they would come up with some lame-ass excuse, and Shizuo would get mad. He wasn't even sure why he was so furious at this man. Perhaps it was the stress of the day catching up with him, or maybe the fact that he had run out of cigarettes about an hour ago. Either way, this creature that lay screaming and crying at his feet had sent him over the edge.

"You people should know that when you borrow money, you're going to have to give it back!" Shizuo growled at the thing on the ground that called itself a man.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry! I c-couldn't p-p-predict that my m-m-mother would get s-sick!" The 'man' cried, his voice full of desperation.

Shizuo may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he could still tell when someone was lying to his face. "Okay then, let's go visit you mother in the hospital. Which hospital did you say she was in again?" Shizuo had picked the 'man' completely off of the ground by his jacket, and proceeded to glare at him. He could see the 'man' breaking under his stare. Tom simply sat back and watched, confident that it would all be over in a manner of seconds. His intuition did not disappoint.

"O-Okay! Okay! She's not in the hospital! H-here! I-I'll get you the money" The sniveling thing in Shizuo's hands reached into his pocket and retrieved his wallet, from which he produced a wad of bills. "T-take it! Just p-please! Don't hurt me!" He was hysterical by this point.

Shizuo snatched the money, and handed it to Tom without breaking eye contact with the pathetic excuse for a man he was holding. With a final shake, he dropped the 'man' on the ground, and walked past him.

Tom called out after him. "Hey, Shizuo! Where are you going?"

"I need a cigarette." Shizuo replied flatly as he walked towards the nearest convenience store.

"Okay then. Meet me back here in an hour, okay?"

Shizuo raised a hand in agreement without turning around as he continued to walk.


	2. Chapter 2

Izaya stepped off of the bus that had taken him from Shinjuku to Ikebukuro. He still had a little bit of a walk to Shinra's place, so he wasted no time and started walking as fast as his aching legs could take him. It didn't take very long for Izaya to tire out from moving around so much. He stopped in an alleyway and leaned his back against a wall for support. At this rate, there was no way he'd make it to Shinra's without collapsing first. He sighed inwardly as he was taken over by a coughing fit that caused his legs to give up on him. He slid down the wall and sat on the ground attempting to take a breath between the violent coughs. Finally, he was able to stop coughing long enough to stand up and catch his breath. That is, until a trash can hit him in the chest, forcing all of the newly acquired air out of his lungs.

Shizuo had finally gotten himself a new pack of cigarettes, and was walking between a few buildings to try and avoid the crowds for a little while. Crowds of people were loud and annoying, and being in a worse mood than usual, Shizuo really couldn't handle people right now. He leaned against a wall, taking a nice long drag of his cigarette when he heard a rather painful sounding cough right around the corner from where he was standing.

Shizuo stomped out the cigarette, and turned the corner to see none other than that damned flea coughing up a storm. Shizuo was instantly filled with rage upon seeing the flea's face, and without a second thought, he grabbed the nearest object he could throw—which happened to be a trash can—and hurled it at the source of his anger.

To Shizuo's surprise, the flea didn't manage to dodge the flying object as he usually did. Shizuo felt a smile on his lips as he heard a satisfying yelp from the informant as he was thrown off his feet. Shizuo watched with a smile still on his face as Izaya brought himself up to a ready position, his weapon of choice already in his hand, blade pointing at Shizuo.

"Izzzaaaayyyaaaa-kuuuunnn" Shizuo drew out his name in a taunting sort of voice as he stepped closer to the flea.

"Ah, Shizu-chan! I'm sorry, but I actually don't have time to talk to you at the moment!" The flea spoke in his usual tone; however, something seemed a little off. The flea was panting a little bit, and it was then that Shizuo remembered that he had just heard him coughing a few moments ago. His smile grew wider at the thought of the flea being weakened by sickness.

"What's wrong, flea? You seem a little tired." Shizuo said in a taunting voice. It wasn't very often that Shizuo could catch the flea off guard, and he wasn't planning on letting this opportunity slip away from him.

Izaya frowned slightly, as he started to step backwards. Shizuo had seen that look one too many times. It was a sign that the flea was about to make a run for it. Shizuo wasn't going to let him get away this time. He lunged forward and reached for the flea's right arm taking hold of it at the wrist, effectively preventing him from using his knife. Shizuo forced Izaya up against the wall, holding both of his hands together over his head with one strong hand, while his other hand was back ready to deliver a sold punch into the flea's face.

The flea struggled weakly, and very soon gave up and just sat there, averting his eyes and panting heavily. At this point, Shizuo froze. Normally, he could never catch the flea like this, and while it made him happy to be on the winning side of a fight between them for once, he couldn't help but notice that there was really something wrong with the flea. Giving up on struggling was one thing, but avoiding his gaze? That was something that the flea would never do in a fight in a million years. Shizuo thought again about the flea's cough. Was he really that sick? That cough really didn't sound too good.

Shizuo's train of thought was broken by Izaya's sudden coughing starting up again. Shizuo could see him struggling to breathe and when he finally stopped coughing, he let out a painful groan and closed his eyes tightly. Shizuo loosened his grip, and watched as the flea crumpled onto the ground attempting to catch his breath again.

Shizuo sighed and turned to walk away. If he was going to kill the flea, it had to be a fair fight. The flea had no fight in him whatsoever at the moment, and killing him now didn't sound nearly as satisfying as that flea's groaning in pain. Shizuo lit another cigarette as he walked away, and without turning around he yelled back to the flea. "We'll try this again when you're not dying of sickness!"

And with that, he was gone as quickly as he had come. Izaya pulled himself up again, using the wall to help him keep his balance. 'Why the hell didn't that protozoan just kill me right then and there?' he thought to himself. He shivered again, even though he was sweating. His chest hurt surprisingly more from the coughing than from getting hit with a trash can. 'Heh, my body must be getting used to being struck by random flying objects after all of this time.' Izaya finally caught his breath again, and continued his walk to Shinra's place.


	3. Chapter 3

Shinra had just received a sharp blow to the head from Celty after mentioning something about the fact that he has already seen her naked when he was four, when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Shinra said in a sing-song voice as Celty crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't in the mood for Shinra's crazy antics. She needed to find her head before she could think about developing a relationship with her roommate of twenty years. Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a familiar voice at the door.

Shinra opened the door, surprised to see a rather sick looking Izaya at his door. "Oh, Izaya! What are you doing here?"

Izaya glared at him. "I'm sick, you idiot! Isn't it obvious! You know, a doctor really shouldn't turn off his phone!" Izaya said sounding quite irritated. Once again, his cough started up.

"Oh. Sorry Izaya… Celty's been a little down lately, so I was trying to cheer her up. Did you walk all the way here from Shinjuku?"

"No, I took the bus. Could you just give me some meds or something? I really have to get back to work. I'm—" Izaya couldn't finish his thought as he began another coughing fit. He tried to breathe in between coughs, but every time he attempted to inhale he choked on the air. Izaya could feel his legs starting to give out on him again, and he fell when his knees buckled.

Shinra caught Izaya before he hit the floor, and called Celty over. They managed to pull him up, and get him over to the couch, where Shinra had him lay down. Izaya closed his eyes, thankful to finally be able to relax for a few minutes. He felt a hand on his forehead, and heard Shinra's voice say "Jeeze, you're burning up!" Soon after, something cold and wet is placed on Izaya's forehead, making him shiver slightly.

Shinra looked at Izaya on the couch, and noticed him shiver as he placed a cold washcloth on his forehead. "How long has this been going on?"

"I woke up with it this morning" The words were mumbled, but Shinra was able to understand what Izaya was saying.

"Do you have any aches or pain anywhere?" Shinra asked while studying Izaya's condition.

"Everywhere. Especially my chest" Izaya spoke in a groan this time.

Shinra looked around and dug out his stethoscope. "Can you sit up?" He asked.

Izaya was silent for a second, then mumbled something that sounded like a "yeah" as he gripped the couch and sat up.

Shinra lifted Izaya's shirt and placed the stethoscope on Izaya's back. Izaya flinched as the freezing object touched his bare skin.

"Can you take a few deep breaths for me?" Shinra listened as Izaya attempted to inhale deeply before coughing again. Shinra sighed as he removed the stethoscope, and allowed Izaya to lie down again. "You have bronchitis. I can give you some antibiotics to help you get over it a little faster, but that's all I can do for you."

Izaya removed the washcloth from his head, and set it down on the coffee table before speaking again. "That's all you can do?"

"Sadly, yes. Sorry Izaya, you'll just have to get some rest. Why don't you stay here for a little bit? I don't want you moving around too much"

"I have to go back. I'm really falling behind in my work, and there's no way I can let being sick prevent me from getting this stuff done" Izaya crossed his arms like a kid would as he spoke. His voice was a little hoarse from all of his coughing.

"Okay, fine." Shinra looked up at Celty. "Celty, do you think you could give Izaya a ride back? I don't want him collapsing in the street. Or worse, running into Shizuo…"

Izaya almost told Shinra that it was a little late to be concerned about that, but then he remembered that Shizuo had let him go free. He didn't feel like trying to explain that to Shinra at the moment.

Celty typed on her PDA and held out the message for Izaya to read. "[Shinra's right. I should take you back.]"

Izaya looked from Celty to Shinra, and then back again. "Okay, okay… Fine."

Shinra walked out of the room and returned with a bottle of pills. He handed them to Izaya with instructions. "Take them three times a day until you run out. Try to eat something with them too so you don't get a stomach ache on top of everything."

Izaya nodded. "Thanks, Shinra."


	4. Chapter 4

The city became a blur to Izaya as he flew past countless people and buildings on the back of Celty's motorcycle—or should he say 'horse'. Izaya held on to Celty, resting his head against her back. He was exhausted, and watching the city fly past his eyes was making him a little dizzy. He closed his eyes wondering what Celty was thinking about this situation. He must look pretty pathetic to her, not even being able to walk himself back to his office. He hated showing any signs of weakness in front of people. He was the great Orihara Izaya! He was supposed to be a figure of power known and feared throughout the city, not some pathetic child who can't even walk without collapsing from a cough.

Izaya had become so lost in this thought that he didn't even realize he was back at his office until he felt Celty start to stand up. She held her PDA in front of Izaya's face, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"[Are you okay?]" She asked. Izaya looked up at her helmet. If she had a face, it would probably harbor a worried expression considering her touch was so gentle.

Izaya smiled. "Just a little tired, Celty! I'll be fine after I get a little rest!" His cheery tone was flawless from years of practice.

Celty seemed to believe him as she removed her hand from his shoulder to type again. "[Good. Get some sleep, and I'll see you later!]" With that, she hopped back on her bike and drove off, her bike neighing as she disappeared around the corner of the street.

Izaya decided to take the elevator to his office rather than the stairs. He was simply too tired to use energy unnecessarily. Even unlocking the door was easier said than done for the drained informant. After a little bit of struggling, the door finally opened and Izaya stumbled inside his office. For an instant, he regretted owning such a large space as he observed the distance between the comfort of the couch and where he stood at the door. Somehow, Izaya managed to drag himself across the room and crumple onto the couch, where he fell asleep instantly.

Celty was passing a park on her way home, when she saw the familiar shape of a tall blonde man in a bartender uniform. Celty turned her horse and headed in Shizuo's direction noticing that something was off with him. His right hand was holding his left shoulder, and he had a pained expression on his face. Celty jumped off of her horse, and ran over to Shizuo, typing the question while she ran. "[Shizuo, what happened? Are you okay?]"

Shizuo read the message and looked up at Celty where her eyes would be if she had them. "I'm fine! Don't worry! I just got a little angry at this guy and I kinda threw a truck at him… I think I messed up my shoulder a little bit, but it's starting to feel better now."

"[You threw a _truck_? Shizuo, you have to be careful!]" There was a pause as she typed a new message. "[I'm taking you to see Shinra. Just to be safe!]"

Shizuo smiled slightly. "Okay, okay. If it'll make you feel better."

"One leaves, and the other arrives I see!" Shinra said with a huge grin on his face as Shizuo walked in the room still holding his shoulder. Shinra tried to hide his excitement every time Shizuo showed up with an injury. It gave Shinra a chance to study how Shizuo's body works, even if it's just for a short while. He always used to visit Shizuo in the hospital when they were kids in hopes that he could somehow convince Shizuo to let him do some tests. Of course, Shizuo always declined, and in one incident he had almost broke Shinra's arm as a reply. Ever since then, Shinra simply used Shizuo's frequent injuries as chances to study him.

Shizuo saw the gleam in Shinra's eye, and ignored it for the time being. "What do you mean by that, Shinra?"

"Oh, Izaya was here earlier. He's pretty sick. Ah, but don't worry Shizuo, he'll be well enough for you to throw vending machines at him in no time!" Shinra's smile grew wider as he finished speaking. "Now let's take a look at that shoulder of yours!"

Shinra lead Shizuo to the couch that Izaya had been on just a little while ago, and had him sit down. Shinra poked at Shizuo's arm and moved it around asking him exactly where it hurt, and how much.

"It looks like you've dislocated your shoulder. We should be able to pop it back in. You ready? This will probably hurt a bit" Shinra took a firm hold of Shizuo's arm and with a quick pull and push along with a loud popping noise, Shizuo's shoulder was back in place.

"Ow! What the fuck, Shinra!" Shizuo complained. Although, he had to admit, his shoulder was starting to feel better already. He lifted his arm and stretched it out in all different directions, testing to see if it was fixed. "Thanks."

Shinra took the chance to ask just once more. "As payment for my services, why don't you let me run some tests on you?" Shinra's voice sounded hopeful.

Shizuo just glared at him, not really feeling the need to dignify that request with an answer. Besides, his mind had drifted elsewhere during the ordeal. "You said Izaya was sick? What's wrong with him exactly?"

"Oh, are you worried about him, Shizuo?" Shinra said with that smile still on his face. Shizuo started at this, but Shinra ignored his protests and continued. "Like I said, he'll be fine. He has bronchitis, so I have him some antibiotics so he'd stop complaining. I was going to go check on him later to make sure he's not overworking himself."

Shizuo thought for a minute, remembering the sweet sound of Izaya in pain. "Mind if I tag along?" Shizuo asked in a flat tone.

Shinra and Celty exchanged surprised glances. After a moment, Shinra spoke. "Shizuo I wouldn't suggest attacking Izaya when he's sick. It'd be kinda cruel and—"

"I wasn't planning on attacking the flea!" Shizuo interrupted. "I just find the thought of him suffering a pleasant one is all."

Shinra blinked a few times, and then sighed. "I guess it would be fine, as long as you promise not to start anything…"

"Don't worry, Shinra. I'll hold back. I just have to see this." Shizuo smirked to himself, making Shinra feel a little uneasy at the sadistic look on Shizuo's face. He wondered if this was a bad idea. Sure Shizuo wouldn't start anything, but what if Izaya did? On second thought, after seeing how exhausted Izaya was earlier, Shinra highly doubted he would have the energy to provoke Shizuo.


	5. Chapter 5

The walk to Izaya's office in Shinjuku was a long one for Shizuo. The entire way over, Shizuo was asking himself why he was willingly going to see Izaya. Was it really because he wanted to see Izaya suffer? That had to be it, right? Hearing Izaya's pained voice earlier that day had made Shizuo feel high with power over the flea. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to experience that again? Shizuo was so preoccupied with these thoughts for the majority of the walk over, that he was able to deal with Shinra's random babbling on and on about anything and everything that popped into his mind. How Celty managed to deal with him for twenty years was unknown to Shizuo.

"Well, here we are!" Shinra announced, bringing Shizuo back to the reality of where he was. Now that he thought about it, he had never actually seen the inside of Izaya's office, and he started to become curious as they ascended the stairs.

Shinra knocked on the door and waited. There was no response. Shinra tried the handle, and to Shizuo's surprise—and to Shinra's as well, judging by the expression on his face—the door was open. Izaya didn't seem like the type to leave the door to his place open, especially if he was there.

The pair slowly made their way in to the office, looking around for any sign of the informant. Shinra headed toward the computer desk, surprised that Izaya wasn't there working like he said he was going to do.

"Hey, Shinra…" Shizuo whispered from behind Shinra, who turned to see Shizuo standing next to the L shaped couch. Shinra followed Shizuo's gaze to see a sleeping Izaya sprawled out on the couch. Shinra couldn't help but smile at the sight of the sinister informant sleeping so soundly.

Shinra approached Izaya, and tapped his arm. "Izaya? Wakey-wakey!" He said in a low voice.

Izaya groaned and turned his back towards Shinra. "Go away…"

"Oh come on, Izaya! I just wanted to check on you and make sure you're doing okay!" Shinra said a little louder.

Izaya's eyes opened as he looked at Shinra, and then over at the other person standing over him. Izaya shot up from the couch in surprise "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"You left the door unlocked, Izaya." Shinra stated in a very matter-of-fact way.

"I.. Did I really? Damn, I must have been more out of it than I thought…" Izaya spoke more to himself than anyone else. He was a little concerned that he had forgotten about something so important.

"Just be glad it was me who got here first, and not one of your angry clients!" Shinra said laughing a little at the confused look on Izaya's face. Shizuo couldn't help but let out a small laugh as well. Izaya's expression looked as if he had just been told that his computer was broken!

Izaya shot a glare at Shizuo, but the look quickly faded as he noticed the time. It was 4:30pm. "Shit! I've been asleep this whole time! I haven't gotten anything done yet!" Izaya pushed past Shinra and Shizuo, practically ignoring their existence as he rushed to his desk and switched his computer on.

"Hey, Izaya...?" Shinra watched as Izaya ran over to his desk. "If you passed out right when you got home, does that mean you haven't eaten anything yet today?"

Izaya ignored the worried tone in Shinra's voice, and responded without looking at him. "Nope. Nothing." The world around Izaya suddenly seemed to vanish as he focused all of his attention on answering the massive list of e-mails he had received during the time he had been asleep.

"—eat! HEY! Are you even listening to me?" Izaya heard Shinra's voice but didn't really process most of what he had said until he raised his voice.

"Sorry, what was that?" Izaya finally looked in Shinra's direction when he spoke.

"I said that I told you earlier to eat something with those antibiotics I gave you. You won't get any better if you don't eat!" Shinra had closed the gap between him and Izaya's desk as he lectured the informant. "Sometimes I really do question your sanity!"

Izaya laughed. "I'm fine, Shinra! I've gone a while without eating before. It comes with the job!" He laughed some more, which made his cough come back.

Shinra sighed as Izaya started coughing again. He walked over to the small kitchen area and opened the fridge to find that it was empty. "Well, I guess I'll have to go get you something to eat then… Shizuo, you stay here and keep an eye on him until I get ba—"

"NO!" Shinra was cut off by the duo's simultaneous protest.

"It wasn't a question. Izaya, if you don't agree to this I might have to take your antibiotics away!" Shinra teased.

Izaya crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't need a babysitter, Shinra."

Shinra ignored Izaya's comment in favor of taking Shizuo aside. "I'm sorry to do this to you Shizuo, but I don't trust him to not overwork himself. He's done it before, and the last thing I need is for him to get sicker. Just stay here and make sure he doesn't move around too much until I get back! I'll buy you some food too as payment!"

Shizuo considered it for a moment. The flea's condition _was_ fairly entertaining to watch… And all he had to do was sit here and watch the flea to get a free meal? "Fine. I'll do it." He replied, hoping he didn't just make a mistake.

"Thanks, Shizuo! Remember, don't start anything!" Shinra practically ran out of the room with Izaya shouting death threats and chasing after him as he left. The doctor was too fast for the sick informant to catch, so he opted for slamming the door.

Izaya spun around to face Shizuo, still standing near the couch in the middle of the room. He frowned slightly as he headed toward his desk, but stopped in front of Shizuo.

"Please don't break anything, Shizu-chan. This place costs more than you." Izaya smirked when he saw Shizuo's eye twitch; however that smirk was wiped away for a moment as Shizuo grabbed hold of Izaya's shirt and pulled him closer.

"What was that, flea?" Shizuo growled, and Izaya's grin returned.

"Ah, Shizu-chan! Don't get too close, now! We wouldn't want you getting sick too, would we?"

Shizuo simply stared at the flea for a few more seconds before throwing him—none too gently—back on the couch. The sudden movement caused Izaya to break out in another coughing fit. Shizuo watched as the flea struggled for breath for the millionth time that day.

Izaya finally caught his breath, and mumbled to himself. "This sucks…" Almost immediately after speaking he had fallen asleep again, the coughing effectively draining him of the rest of his energy.

It was an interesting time for Shizuo. Not only was he seeing Izaya suffer, but the flea had actually fallen asleep in front of him! Apparently, this sickness was enough to really pose a threat to the flea. Shizuo started to think about the situation he was in. The flea is in no condition to fight, let alone even simply walk down the street. If he didn't get over being sick soon, Shizuo would have to find another way to vent his anger. Wait, was he actually wishing good health towards the flea? When did that happen?

Shizuo shook his head, and looked around the office trying to find something that he could use to distract himself until Shinra returned. Shizuo scaled the office, looking at the spines of various books that lined the walls. They were all arranged alphabetically by subject, and were neatly packed away throughout the office. Shizuo couldn't help but remember their high school days, and how whenever Izaya wasn't busy taunting Shizuo, he was studying. Only Izaya could be a delinquent and a straight A student at the same time. He got away with almost everything because the school didn't want to give him up. He was always top of his class, and even now, he seemed to be attempting to make his way to the top of society… Maybe even the human race, considering the way he refers to humans and himself as separate entities.

Shizuo pushed the thought aside as he sat in the swivel chair at the flea's computer desk. The chair was a lot more comfortable than he had thought. Shizuo resisted the urge to spin in circles as he looked out the large windows that lined the wall behind the desk. He looked down at the street in time to spot Shinra making his way back towards the building. Shizuo stood up from the chair, and waited for Shinra to come through the door.

After a few moments, the door opened, and Shinra came in, walking fast. He set a few bags on the table before looking up at Shizuo. "Where's Izaya?"

"He fell asleep on the couch again." Shizuo said, pointing at the couch where Izaya was curled up.

Shinra walked over and placed his hand on Izaya's forehead. "He still has a fever" Shinra said quietly. He turned to face Shizuo again, with an apologetic look on his face. "I hate to do this to you, Shizuo, I really do. But I got a call to help someone who's been shot, and I have to go. Could you stay here for the night and make sure he eats and takes his antibiotic? Please? I don't want to leave him alone!"

Shizuo hesitated. All night? Alone? With the flea? Well, at least he could make sure that his personal punching bag would live to serve his purpose again. Shizuo nodded in response. Wait. Why did he care what happened to the flea? Whatever. After years of listening to his instinct, Shizuo learned to trust it, and something was telling him that he should stay here. Why? He had no idea.

With a relieved sigh, Shinra bowed to Shizuo, thanking him profusely, as he ran out the door to help some poor sap with a bullet in him. Once again, Shizuo was alone with his worst enemy.


	6. Chapter 6

The flea stirred as the door shut behind Shinra. Shizuo watched with mild amusement as the flea jumped up from the couch. Clearly, he didn't remember falling asleep again. He turned to see Shizuo looking at him, smiling.

"What's so funny, Shizu-chan?" His voice was strained as if he was trying to sound a lot stronger than he felt.

"Nothing." Shizuo responded looking away towards the bags on the counter. "Shinra came and left. Apparently he got called back to work on someone who's been shot. He told me to stay here and make sure you ate."

"Oh, yeah. Now the idiot turns his phone on!" Izaya turned his attention back to Shizuo. "Why the hell did you agree to stay here? No one asked me my opinion."

"Whatever. Just eat your damn food." Shizuo threw one of the bags at Izaya.

Izaya opened the bag and seemed to forget all about being angry when he saw the contents. "Yes! Ootoro! Ah, Shinra knows me well!" Izaya split the pair of cheap wooden chopsticks and plopped a piece of fatty tuna into his mouth. He carried the bag of food over to his desk, where he resumed working, continuously eating while he worked.

Shizuo watched in awe at the amount of food Izaya could eat. 'Where the hell does he put it all?' He thought as he opened his own bag of sushi courtesy of Shinra.

After he finished his dinner, Shizuo sat down on the couch, turning on the TV in the corner. He expected to hear protests from the flea, perhaps something along the lines of 'Do you mind? I'm trying to work', but the flea remained silent, typing away on his computer. Shizuo shrugged. This just made his life a little easier for the time being.

Soon enough, Shizuo began to succumb to his exhaustion. It felt odd to be considering sleep when the flea was only a few feet away, but considering how weakened the flea was from his illness, Shizuo figured he had nothing to worry about as he let himself fall asleep on the couch.

Izaya glanced over just in time to see Shizuo falling asleep on his couch. He sighed, wondering why that protozoan wouldn't just leave already. Izaya watched Shizuo with envy, wishing he could pass out on that couch, which once again, seemed to be calling out to his aching body.

Izaya looked from his computer, to the couch, and back again. "Fuck it." He said as he powered down his computer. He made his way to the L shaped couch, thankful he had purchased such a large piece of furniture. He would be able to sleep on one side without having to come into contact with the monster that took up the other side. The informant sank into the couch, and relaxed, reaching for his coat which was hanging over the back, and throwing it over himself. The cushions supported his body in just the right way to allow his aches and pains to dissipate as he slipped into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The light from the large windows had reached the blonde's eyes, reminding him that he was in unfamiliar territory as he opened his eyes to scan his environment. Shizuo slowly sat up from the couch, rubbing his eyes. He looked across the couch to see the flea curled up in a little ball with his jacket over him like a blanket.

"Oi, flea." Shizuo said not bothering to be quiet as he stood above the informant. "I'm going to go out and get us some breakfast. Don't lock me out, or else I'll break down the door."

The mass on the couch groaned and mumbled something that sounded like "Whatever, Shizu-chan.", before rolling over facing his back to Shizuo.

Shizuo stood in the same spot for a moment, shrugged, and headed out of the office building.

The ex-bartender returned to Izaya's office almost surprised when he didn't have to break the door down. Shizuo slowly made his way back into the spacious room expecting to see Izaya still on the couch. However, it seems that in the short amount of time Shizuo was gone, Izaya had managed to wake himself up and shower (Shizuo assumed so because the flea's hair was still wet, and he had a towel draped over his shoulders to keep his shirt dry), and now was sitting in his swivel chair typing on both his laptop and his desktop computer, spinning around in circles as he texted on his cell phone as well.

'How the hell does he keep track of it all?' Shizuo watched the flea in awe as he performed his balancing act of technology. He set the bags on the kitchen counter, and stepped up behind Izaya trying to see exactly what qualified as 'work' for the informant.

Izaya's hands quickly covered the screens. "Now, now, Shizu-chan! If you want to see this, you'll have to pay me first! That's how it goes!"

Shizuo didn't move away. "You seem better."

"Alas, that's not the case, Shizu-chan. I still feel like shit, but I can't let this all build up or else I'll never catch up! So much happens in this city!"

Shizuo walked back over to the counter and picked up the food, dropping it on the desk on front of the flea.

Izaya looked at the food and then up at Shizuo, a grin growing on his face. "Aww, Shizu-chan~! You got me some food! Do you like me~?"

"Flea, if you don't shut your mouth right now, I'll eat your share too. Besides, you're going to pay me back. I'm not as nice as Shinra"

"Fine, fine!" Izaya raised his arms in surrender, still grinning slightly as he took the food.

Izaya returned to his multitasking, this time adding eating to the list of things to do all at once. He seemed to completely ignore the fact that his enemy was in his office, and NOT fighting with him. Shizuo began to get bored rather quickly, and so he decided to take a look at some of the countless books that filled the spacious office. He sat down holding a book on cultural anthropology and began flipping through, not really bothering to read it, since he knew he wouldn't understand it. As he opened the book, he noticed that the margins were filled with annotations in very neat handwriting, clearly Izaya's. Shizuo read something about theoretical paradigms, but it made no sense to him, so he continued on, mostly looking at the pictures more than anything. The book was horribly boring to Shizuo, yet judging by how much the flea had written in it, he must have found it interesting. Not that much of a surprise of course, considering the book seemed to include a lot about human behavior in different cultures and societies. It definitely sounded like it was right in the flea's area of interest.

This went on in silence for quite a while, Shizuo getting up every once in a while to smoke outside the door of the office. The silence was broken by a sudden loud coughing fit from Izaya, who proceeded to let out a pained groan as he rested his head on the computer desk. Shizuo watched as he sat still for a few moments, then he stood up and made his way to the kitchen where he poured himself a glass of water. Then the unexpected happened. The damn flea threw himself on the couch, close to where Shizuo was sitting. A little too close for the blonde's comfort.

"Hey, flea! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Shizuo yelled in protest.

Izaya made a small "hmph" noise, and proceeded to make himself comfortable.

"Are you even listening to me?" Shizuo asked raising his voice slightly.

Izaya said nothing, clearly ignoring the blonde on purpose. Shizuo jumped up off of the couch muttering something about needing a cigarette. The informant found it amusing that the fortissimo of Ikebukuro had an addiction as petty as cigarettes. Some people say that they smoke to calm themselves, and Izaya had assumed this was also the case for Shizuo. Izaya pictured in his head what it might be like if Shizuo didn't use cigarettes as a stress reliever. There probably wouldn't be an intact vending machine seen for miles in Ikebukuro. The informant smiled at the thought.

After a few more minutes, it became clear to Izaya that the ex-bartender wasn't simply smoking a single cigarette, but more likely he was chain smoking due to being extremely pissed, and not being able to vent his anger. Izaya was quite surprised that Shizuo hadn't already destroyed his office, which was party why he was allowing Shizuo to stay with him. He was interested in seeing how long the blonde could refrain from destruction of property.

The informant sighed, and stood up from the couch after he recovered from the sudden painful coughing he had experienced earlier. He looked at the clock. It was 3:05pm. He eyed the kitchen for a moment, and shrugged as he went to pull out a bottle of chocolate vodka from one of the lower cupboards. He wasn't going to drink a lot… Just a bit to help him relax a bit. If the stupid protozoan could have something to calm himself, then why couldn't Izaya? He poured a shot and drank it down, pausing as he thought about how this would probably mess with the antibiotics a little bit. After deciding he really didn't care, as long as he could have fun for the moment, he poured himself another shot.

"… Screw it." Izaya said sternly as he took the bottle and chugged down the rest. It was only about five shots worth anyway. It was an experiment to see how Shizuo might react if his enemy became a little tipsy. This would be fun!

Shizuo finished yet another cigarette in a desperate attempt to calm his anger. Holding it in was proving to be very difficult around the flea and his constant provoking. With a deep sigh, Shizuo pocketed the pack of cigarettes deciding he was done, and headed back inside. Why he didn't just leave now, he had no idea.

The familiar smell of alcohol filled the ex-bartender's senses as he closed the door behind him. The source of the smell became obvious when Shizuo spotted the empty bottle on the table next to the flea, who once again had that stupid grin on his face… Like he was plotting something.

The flea turned his head, and his face lit up upon seeing Shizuo. "Ah! Shizu-chan~! You're back~!" I was getting worried you had committed suicide or something" His words were slurred a little bit. Great.

"What the hell are you doing, flea? I thought you'd be smart enough to avoid alcohol when you're on meds!" Shizuo's words didn't have as much anger in them as usual. He had never seen the flea drunk before.

Izaya stumbled forward, heading in Shizuo's direction. The latter took a step back, not sure of the flea was hiding a knife on his person somewhere like usual. But this hypothesis was quickly disproven as the flea tripped and fell flat on his face. Shizuo stared for a second at the flea lying there on the floor. He was about to ask if he was okay, when the flea suddenly erupted in hysterical laughter. The flea was rolling on the floor, and laughing like a madman—wait, wasn't he already a madman? Either way, this seemed a little too odd to simply be one of his tricks.

Apparently in his drunken state, the flea had forgotten that he was sick, as his laughter lead into another coughing attack. Shizuo stood and watched for a few minutes as Izaya continued to cough while curled up on the floor. He finally stopped coughing after a little while; however, he didn't make any attempt to get off of the floor. Shizuo raised an eyebrow. 'Can he not get up…?' he asked himself.

Slowly, Shizuo took a few hesitant steps in the flea's direction. 'Maybe I should get him on the couch or something…' He thought as he knelt down in front of the dazed informant. Shizuo didn't even have time to react when the flea suddenly looked up at him, and latched his arms around Shizuo's neck before firmly planting a kiss on the confused blonde's lips.

Shizuo completely froze for a moment as he felt the flea's lips touch his own. Once he could taste the remnants of alcohol, he realized that he wasn't imagining this. Shizuo took hold of the flea's arms and forced them off of his neck before firmly shoving the flea away.

"WHAT THE FUCK, FLEA?" Shizuo jumped up off of the floor confused as all hell about what had just transpired. The flea didn't seem fazed as he pulled himself off of the floor using the back of the couch for support.

He was laughing again. "You should have seen your face!" He choked out between his laughing and coughing.

Shizuo simply stood there, not sure what to do. The flea had definitely just kissed him, and now he was laughing at Shizuo's reaction. How the hell had he expected him to react to something like that?

Shizuo's thoughts were cut off when Izaya suddenly stopped laughing. His face fell, and he looked rather pale. "I don't feel so good…"

'Don't even tell me…' Shizuo thought upon seeing the flea's face grow pale. He didn't feel like having to clean up the flea's sick on top of everything, so he grabbed him and allowed the flea to use his shoulder for support as they made their way into the bathroom.

Izaya collapsed in front of the toilet, and proceeded to vomit his guts out. He looked so miserable, that Shizuo ended up trying to comfort him out of pity. Shizuo kneeled next to him, and gently ran his hand over Izaya's back and shoulders in an attempt to make the flea stop looking so damned pathetic. It didn't seem to work out too well.


	8. Chapter 8

Izaya felt like shit. Not only was he puking like nobody's business, but now Shizuo was taking pity on him and trying to comfort him. But the informant didn't fight away the gesture, because in some sick twisted way, it actually made him feel better even knowing that this was his enemy he was allowing to touch him. After he felt like he was finished purging his system of alcohol and his lunch, Izaya reached a shaky hand up to flush it all down before moving to rest his back against the wall. Everything around him was a little bit fuzzy. He could hear Shizuo's voice, and see him speaking into his cell phone, most likely talking to Shinra. Izaya felt a big warm hand place itself over his forehead before hearing Shizuo's voice say "Yeah, his fever is back."

The informant closed his eyes, and let himself lay on the floor, a loud groan escaping his lips. The floor was cold, and it felt good against his burning skin. He was shivering, but he didn't even care. He still felt hot.

"Oh come on, flea. You can't lay down here." Shizuo said in an irritated voice. "I told Shinra what happened, and he sounded kinda pissed at you. He'll be here in a couple hours, and he told me to get you re-hydrated."

Izaya groaned in protest, not wanting to leave the cool floor. "Just let me stay here a few minutes." he grumbled. His awareness was still quite dim, and he didn't want to risk walking just yet. It only took a few seconds before Izaya felt two strong hands pick him off of the floor, and soon he found himself hanging over Shizuo's shoulder, and being carried back into the main room of the office.

The informant was shocked when he was gently placed on the couch when he had expected to be thrown like yesterday's garbage. He didn't even bother to hide the surprise on his face when the ex-bartender handed him a glass of water, which Izaya drank without a second thought. He was really thirsty. When he finished, he reached out and placed the empty glass on the coffee table before returning to rest on the couch. He closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him, desperate to escape the pain that was starting to grow in his head.

There was silence between the two for a while, and Shizuo realized that the flea had fallen asleep again. Shizuo exhaled slowly. Why was being around the flea so exhausting? And what the hell was with that kiss? The flea was clearly drunk off his ass, but that was the last thing he would ever expect a drunken Izaya to do… Shizuo felt a blush creep on to his face and shook his head in an effort to forget about that incident. He placed his arms over the back of the couch and closed his eyes. He was tired.

Everything was fuzzy. He could barely keep his eyes open for more than three seconds at a time before they fell shut again. Izaya shivered. It was cold, and he couldn't reach his jacket. He shifted slightly, and felt something warm near his hand. He pulled himself closer to the warm thing, and cuddled into it, still shivering slightly. He settled down, and all awareness faded again as he drifted back to sleep.

The quiet knock on the door went unheard by the sleeping duo as Shinra slowly opened the door looking for signs of life. It was quiet, which Shinra thought was strange, since the room currently harbored two rather destructive people. Shinra spotted Shizuo, his blonde hair sticking out against the black couch. Clearly, he was asleep. The doctor walked in front of the couch to wake him when he froze, not quite believing his own eyes. Shizuo sleeping calmly was one thing, but what caught him by surprise was seeing Izaya curled up on Shizuo's lap, also sleeping quite soundly. Shinra stifled a laugh, as he took his phone out of his pocket. 'Celty isn't going to believe this!' He thought as he turned on the camera on his phone. He quickly took a picture, and sent it to his roommate/potential lover without any caption to explain the situation, and waited for chaos to ensue. The phone vibrated and Shinra read the message, nearly dying of a silent laughter.

"[WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?]" Was the response. If Celty had a face, it would probably look as if she had seen a ghost… Or an alien in her case. Shinra almost wished he could have delivered this shocking bit of news in person so he could be there for Celty's surely hilarious response. She had probably almost dropped her phone when she saw this picture.

"[They're asleep! I don't know how it happened! I'm a little afraid to wake them up right now!]" Shinra texted back to Celty. It wasn't a lie, Shinra really wasn't sure how to approach this situation. The pair would likely try to kill him for seeing them together like this. He probably shouldn't tell them he sent a picture of it out into the world…

"[Be careful about it, Shinra. Take your time waking them, and don't make any sudden moves.]"

"[Haha, it sounds like you're telling me how to defuse a bomb! Well, I guess this can compare to that in a way!]" Shinra had a mental image of a fuse on Shizuo's head causing him to explode the moment he woke up.

As if on cue, Shinra saw Shizuo stir. 'Oh boy, here we go…' Shinra took a few steps back.


	9. Chapter 9

There was something warm and heavy on his stomach and legs. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down to see none other than the flea lying on his lap. Shizuo jumped slightly in surprise, which jarred the flea awake.

Izaya felt something shift suddenly underneath him. The informant opened his eyes, and quickly realized that the thing that had shifted was Shizuo. Izaya flung himself up off of the protozoan and both were on their feet in an instant.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Shizuo shouted, now at maximum rage.

"WHY ARE YOU BLAMING ME FOR THIS?" Izaya raised his voice back, which made his chest hurt.

"YOU WERE THE ONE ON TOP OF ME!"

Izaya wanted to yell right back, but the pain in his chest forced him to lower his voice. "I was drunk! It's not my fault!" He paused when he saw Shizuo looking past him with a look of pure horror. The informant slowly turned to follow Shizuo's stare until his eyes landed on a man in a white lab coat.

The three fell silent and stood there staring at each other for a while before Izaya broke the silence with his usual cheery tone, but this time it carried a hint of malice.

"Shinra. Hello." The informant's eyes traveled down to see the phone in Shinra's hand. "Don't even tell me…" It didn't take long for the thought to process in his mind before he lunged at the unsuspecting doctor and yanked his phone away.

Shizuo watched as Shinra and Izaya fought over the phone wondering what was happening until the flea called out to him.

"Shizu-chan, help me out here!" The flea sounded desperate. His weakened body was having a hard time fighting off the doctor.

"Why the hell should I do that?" Shizuo responded, still a little confused.

"Because, you dim-witted protozoan, he took a picture of us!" At these words Shizuo felt his heart skip a beat. He had the sudden urge to throw Shinra out the window.

Shinra watched in horror as the blonde quickly made his way over across the room, looking like he was ready to kill. He felt Shizuo grip the back of his coat and pull him up away from Izaya until he was face to face with the ex-bartender. Knowing there was no way he could win now, Shinra held out his phone, which Shizuo took with his free hand. Shizuo passed the device over to Izaya, and dropped Shinra back on the ground, hard. All Shinra found himself thinking was 'Don't look at the messaging history…' He could only pray that Izaya's sickness would cause him to forget that minor detail just like he had forgotten to lock the door the day before.

It seemed that luck was on his side that day, as Izaya handed back Shinra's phone after deleting the picture. Shinra sighed in relief as his prayers were answered. By the time he looked up at Izaya again, the informant was holding his head in his hand with his eyes tightly closed. Shinra helped him get back to the couch to sit down before going to get him a glass of water.

"Take it easy, you're still dehydrated." He said handing Izaya the water. "What were you thinking, Izaya? I thought you would be smart enough to avoid alcohol! In some cases it can worsen the effects of bronchitis."

"Whatever. My immune system is strong enough… Besides, it's mostly out of my system by now." The last thing Izaya needed right now was to be scolded by the doctor. He was still feeling a little tipsy, and his mind was elsewhere at the moment. Why had he woken up on Shizuo's lap? He didn't even remember passing out. Actually, he didn't remember anything other than throwing up. Izaya checked the clock. It was only 8:30pm… Whatever had happened, it happened fairly quickly. He didn't dwell on the thought for too long before Shinra's phone went off, and he answered it.

"Hello?... Yeah… Okay… Yup. I'll be right there… Bye" Shinra looked back at Izaya, and checked his temperature before speaking again. "Well, at least your fever is down now. Just keep hydrated, and you should be fine. Sorry, I have to head out. The patient I was with earlier is having some problems… Will you two be okay?"

Neither of them responded verbally, but rather glared at Shinra for a moment before looking away.

"I'll take that as a 'Yes'" He said simply. "Call me if you have any other problems!" And with that he was gone, leaving Izaya and Shizuo to deal with their awkward situation.

The pair simply stared at each other for a moment, before Izaya broke the silence. "Well Shizu-chan, I should get back to work!"

Shizuo said nothing. He didn't know what to say. His eyes followed the flea, who literally skipped over to his desk as if nothing had happened. Shizuo shook his head slightly, and returned to his position on the couch.

A few minutes passes before Izaya let out a "hmph" noise. "Shit. I have to go meet with a client. Shizu-chan, you won't destroy my office if I leave you here, will you?"

Shizuo ignored the question that was obviously meant to provoke him. "Why can't you just talk to them over the internet or something like you usually do?"

"Ah Shizu-chan, you know so little about my work! I never sell my information over the internet! I only receive it! If you'd use your brain for once in your life—that is assuming you have one—you would understand that internet security can't be trusted! If I can hack information from someone, why wouldn't they be able to do the same to me?" Izaya finished with a nod.

"Dare I ask where you keep all of your information, then?"

Izaya smiled and pointed to his head before standing up and pulling his jacket on, mentally preparing himself for the cold he was about to experience. As he made his way out the door, he paused and looked at Shizuo, narrowing his eyes. "Don't follow me."

The glare that Shizuo received told him that Izaya was very serious. However, the blonde had something else on his mind. He _would_ follow the flea to learn a little more about how his information dealings worked. He knew the flea's line of work was dangerous, but since he had never actually seen the flea's job in action, he didn't know exactly what it entailed. And he was curious. He quickly jumped off of the couch and ran out the door to see the flea had just made it to the bottom of the stairs. Shizuo followed him out of the building, all the while ensuring that he went unnoticed to the flea.

Shizuo nearly lost track of Izaya as he suddenly turned into a nearby alley. The blonde picked up his pace to catch up with the flea, before stopping outside of the alley to listen. Carefully, he peered around the corner and caught a glimpse of the flea talking to a tall man—in comparison to the flea, at least—wearing a brown coat. Shizuo strained his hears, but couldn't hear what they were saying. That's when Shizuo saw light reflecting off of a metallic object in the tall man's hand. The man hastily raised the gun, and pointed it at the flea, who remained quite calm. Shizuo gripped the wall, remembering that the flea's physical condition wasn't exactly up to par at the moment.

Shizuo watched, a little nervous as the man managed to back Izaya up to the wall, still holding the gun to his head. The man leaned in and whispered something into Izaya's ear before firmly planting a kiss on Izaya's neck. Izaya's eyes were now shut tight, and he seemed to be trying to back away, but the wall behind him prevented him from breaking away. Shizuo's eyes widened in surprise as he realized that the flea might actually be in trouble, and the line was drawn when the man proceeded to bite at the informant's ear.

The ex-bartender took hold of the nearest street sign, and yanked it from its home as his surprise turned into rage. He flew into the alley without a second thought as his body did most of the thinking for him. The flea's eyes opened, and stared astonished upon seeing Shizuo.

"Get the fuck away from him now, or else" Shizuo growled, feeling the twisted metal of the street sign bend in his grip.

"Or else what…?" The man asked sounding a little unsure of himself as he took a step back.

"I'll kill you, you little piece of shit!" As Shizuo spoke, the man had turned to aim his gun at Shizuo.


	10. Chapter 10

Even though the man had released him, Izaya couldn't bring himself to move. He couldn't think clearly as he looked up to see that the man was now pointing his weapon at Shizuo. Without a second thought, the informant reached into his pocket and produced his flick blade. He could see the man's arm tense slightly, and in a flash, Izaya had sunk his blade into the man's arm just a millisecond too late.

Shizuo was about to charge at the man when he saw the flea attack out of the corner of his eye. His knife made contact with the man's arm, throwing off his aim slightly. However it wasn't quite enough. The sound of the gun firing filled the alley mixing with the man's scream, and before he had time to think, Shizuo found himself on the ground from the force of the bullet that made a solid connection with the blonde's side, just below his ribs. Shizuo felt the pain for an instant as it hit him, but by the time he was able to assess the situation, the pain was gone. That's just how it worked. Shizuo rarely felt any pain, and getting shot didn't seem to be any different. Nevertheless, he still took a moment to recover from the impact that had caused him to fall over. After a few seconds he was able to look up to see that the flea had turned the tables, holding his knife to the man's neck. The look in his eyes said that he was ready to kill.

Izaya pressed his blade into the vile man's neck, and drew a little bit of blood before he heard sirens. Police sirens. Shit. They must have been nearby and heard the gunshot. That's the only way they could have responded so quickly. With a final glare at the disgusting creature underneath him, Izaya stood and firmly kicked the gun from the man's grip, before picking it up and putting it in his coat pocket. He turned to Shizuo in time to see the blonde pulling himself up, using the wall for support. He was holding his side to prevent further blood loss.

The informant rushed over and pulled Shizuo's arm over his shoulder, trying to support some of the blonde's weight. Izaya helped Shizuo walk as fast as they could back in the direction of his office. No words were spoken between the two, even as on looking people pointed at the bleeding man, all of them looking too frightened to approach. 'Well at least they're not going to interfere' Izaya thought with relief.

The elevator doors closed on the two just as Izaya could see flashing lights pass by the front of the building. The pair was cut off from the world for a few moments as the elevator started to move. Izaya stared at the ground, not wanting to look at Shizuo. He could feel the blonde staring at him, but he couldn't bring himself to look back. Shizuo had just taken a bullet for him. Literally. Izaya had told Shizuo not to follow him, but if he hadn't, then what would have happened? Izaya knew that the man was a little off from a previous meeting with him, but the informant had felt confident he would be able to handle the situation. Clearly, he was wrong, and that didn't sit well with him. There were two things that Izaya truly hated, and those things were being wrong, and losing control in a situation. And those two things went hand in hand in the position he had just come out of.

Izaya was torn from his thoughts as the elevator made a 'ding' sound, and the doors opened. He helped the injured blonde over to the couch. He ran into the bathroom and fumbled around for his first aid kit, which stayed quite well stocked considering all of the times he fought with the strongest man in Ikebukuro. It was then that Izaya noticed his hands were shaking violently, and he was pale as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He tried to take a few deep breaths, which caused him to start coughing again. He really didn't want Shizuo to see him looking this pathetic. 'Fuck it. He already saw what happened…' He thought as he rushed back over to the couch.

Shizuo sat on the couch watching Izaya run into the bathroom, and returning with a handful of bandages. He set the bundle down on the coffee table and started to lift Shizuo's shirt to get at the wound.

"I'm fine, you don't need to do that…" Shizuo trailed off as he noticed that the flea's hands were shaking, and he was considerably paler that usual. He was coughing slightly as he wiped the excess blood from Shizuo's side.

When he spoke, his voice reflected the shaking in his hands as he tried his best to sound confident. "Shizu-chan, I can't have you bleeding all over my office. It's expensive, remember? Heh, that bullet went clean through your side, didn't it…? Good, I don't have the proper tools to dig out a bullet..."

Shizuo watched in silence as Izaya managed to tightly wrap the bandages around his side. He sighed when he was finished, and went to the kitchen where he washed his hands. Izaya made his way to the windows where he picked up a pair of binoculars and looked in the direction they had come from. He saw Izaya smile in satisfaction.

"Hah. The bastard is in the back of the police car."

Shizuo thought for a moment. "Won't he give the police your name?"

"Shizu-chan, do you think I'm stupid? That man only knew me by a false name that I use online. I can tell when my clients are extremely untrustworthy, and I make sure they don't know my true identity. And let me tell you… That one in particular seemed quite unstable to me." Izaya's voice had gained some of its confidence back upon seeing the man get what he deserved.

They were silent again for a little while again. Shizuo broke the silence, speaking quietly. "So… Why was he… I mean… He was trying to—"

"—The man is twisted, Shizu-chan. Completely mental. And when I say that someone is insane, they have to be pretty fucked up. I met with him once before, and I could tell he was unstable by the way he looked at me. I suppose I should have predicted he'd try something like that…" Shizuo saw Izaya shiver slightly, before he spun around and picked up his phone.

"Hello, Shinra?... No, I'm fine, it's Shizu-chan actually…. Well, you see he kinda got shot… That doesn't matter…" –his voice lowered—"I'll tell you some other time… Okay… Yeah." Izaya held the phone to Shizuo. "Shinra wants to talk to you."

Shizuo took the phone. "Hello?"

"Shizuo! Why won't Izaya tell me what happened?"

"Don't worry about it Shinra. It's not important."

"Fine, fine… But are you okay?"

"I'm all right. The bleeding has almost stopped already."

"You're healing powers amaze me, Shizuo! But you still shouldn't move too much. I'd come over there myself, but I'm kind of in the middle of something… I've been busy."

"It's fine, Shinra. I don't need any more help."

"Okay, but I suggest you stay there at least until you can walk around without re-opening the wound, okay? I'll see if I can stop by when things aren't so busy!"

Shizuo paused. Of course. Now he had to stay with the flea longer. Then he realized something. He should feel disgusted, but for some reason, he felt okay with the idea of staying with the flea a little longer. That was weird. "Fine, Shinra…"

"Good. Take it easy, I have to go! Bye!"

"Bye." Shizuo ended the call, and handed the phone back to Izaya, who pocketed it before walking over to the kitchen. He opened the bottom drawer, and pulled the gun from his pocket, placing it in the drawer which contained various other guns.

"Rule number one: never leave an attacker with their weapon!" He said weakly. Izaya stood in the same spot, facing the wall for a moment. "Why did you help me…?" he asked quietly.

"Because you needed it." Shizuo responded flatly.

Izaya spun around to face Shizuo, looking rather angry and raising his voice. "I was doing just fine until you showed up!"

"Didn't look like it to me." Shizuo said raising his voice as well. The flea was starting to get on his nerves again, and he could feel his anger start to boil up.

"There was a windowsill right above me that I was about to use to jump out away from the wall and take his gun away, but then YOU messed everything up!" He coughed slightly as he finished.

"Really? You were going to do all of that BEFORE he shot you? Flea, you may be light on your feet, but even you can't dodge a bullet like that!" Shizuo resisted the urge to throw the couch he was sitting on as he saw Izaya's face fall slightly. He turned around again, and started making tea.

After pouring two cups of green tea, Izaya made his way to the couch and sat next to Shizuo. He handed him one of the cups, avoiding eye contact. "Thanks…" Izaya mumbled, sipping his tea.


	11. Chapter 11

The clock said 10:08pm as Shizuo finished his tea. Izaya had finished his first, and now sat staring into his empty cup. Shizuo glanced over in time to see the flea shake his head and jump up off of the couch.

"I'm hungry!" He declared. "How about I pay you back for the food earlier and treat you to something? You can wait here while I go get it."

"Sure. Where are you going to go this late though…?" Now that he mentioned it, Shizuo was rather hungry…

"There's a Sushi place open late just a few blocks away. Don't worry, Shizu-chan! I won't go far!" And with that, he shut the door behind him as he left.

The flea had said not to worry and meant it as a joke; however, Shizuo suddenly found himself a little apprehensive about Izaya going out alone after what had just happened. Why _did_ he save the flea? Was it really because he wanted to be the one to kill him? If Izaya were to walk back in the door right now, _could _Shizuo kill him? In the time he had been stuck living with him, he had seen the flea show some very human physical and psychological weaknesses. Izaya seemed to be letting his guard down when it came to how he presented himself. Perhaps his illness was to blame?

Shizuo found his mind drifting to the incident a few hours ago when he had woken up with the flea on his lap… And the kiss… Izaya hadn't said anything about it… He had been drunk. Could it be he didn't remember kissing him?

Apparently, Shizuo had been lost in thought for quite some time because before he knew it, the flea had come back holding a few bags filled with an unnecessary amount of sushi. He had to ask. It wasn't an option anymore to leave it in the back of his mind to grow.

"Flea, do you remember this afternoon at all…?" He asked staring straight ahead.

"Hm… I remember throwing up, but that's about it… Why?" He replied placing the food on the coffee table.

"You really don't remember what you did…?"

Now Izaya started to look a little nervous. "No… What did I do…?"

Shizuo wasn't sure how to approach this, so he decided to just flat out say it. "Well… You kissed me…"

Izaya started blankly at Shizuo for a moment before he burst out laughing. "You must be joking! Good one, Shizu-chan! You got me!" he laughed a little more, but stopped at the serious look on Shizuo's face.

"I'm not joking, Izaya."

Izaya froze. Shizuo just called him by his name. And his tone was calm and quiet no less. He was looking at him with a slightly concerned look. Izaya felt himself blush, and looked away quickly hoping Shizuo didn't notice. He got up, and took his share over to his desk and started to eat without speaking to the blonde. Even ootoro didn't seem to make him feel less uncomfortable, so the informant did what he does best, and started surfing the internet, logging in to the chatroom where he used the alias Kanra.

Izaya heard Shizuo turn on the TV, and watched out of the corner of his eye as Shizuo flipped through channels, starting to eat some of the sushi on the table. After realizing what Shizuo had settled on watching, Izaya grinned feeling confident that he could now re-gain control of the situation. Shizuo was watching a movie starring none other than his brother Kasuka—the movie where Kasuka got his start as an actor.

Shizuo was smiling slightly as he watched his brother on the screen perform some ridiculous role in which he was some kind of vampire ninja. Izaya didn't find this plot interesting in the least, but seeing Shizuo's reaction, he couldn't resist taunting him a little bit. After all, taunting 'Shizu-chan' had been his main source of entertainment for nearly seven years now.

Izaya crept up behind where Shizuo was sitting, and bent over to rest his elbows on the back of the couch, placing his head in his hands. "Whatcha smiling at?" He made brief eye contact with Shizuo, then looked back at the screen. "Ah, brotherly love~"

His grin grew wider seeing Shizuo's face show signs of anger. It was time to take back control.

"You really do love Kasuka, don't you Shizu-chan? I've seen you go out of your way to protect him from hoards of screaming fan-girls—my sisters included. They have some weird obsession over him or something… Come to think of it, Shizu-chan, you do tend to become quite protective over those you love. I recall a certain woman from a bakery—"

"—How do you kno—" Shizuo cut in, but Izaya cut him off in return.

"—I'm Orihara Izaya. I know. But my point in this being… If you are protective over those you love, then you must love me! You protected me! Wait, that man was going to do dirty things… Were you jealous, Shizu-chan? You want me all for yourself, and so you protected me fro—"

Izaya was cut off again. Shizuo had suddenly turned and grabbed hold of his shirt, and before he knew what was happening, Izaya found himself being kissed by Shizuo—with tongue.

His mind was frantic. What was happening? He had lost control of the situation again. That wasn't supposed to happen! HE was supposed to be taunting SHIZUO! Instead he found himself in a forceful kiss that he couldn't break away from. Shizuo held on to his shirt with one hand, while the other hand was behind Izaya's head, preventing him from even attempting to break the kiss. But he still tried. Izaya put all of his strength into pushing away from Shizuo, who simply held his position. Even with Izaya pushing him away with his hands, and using his legs to push against the back of the couch, the blonde's hold didn't falter for even an instant. Soon, Izaya gave up and went completely limp. He couldn't do anything about it, so why bother using the little strength he had left in his body?

After what seemed like an eternity to the informant, Shizuo finally broke the kiss leaving Izaya panting, and wondering if the blonde had been waiting for him to give up control. No. The damned protozoan wasn't smart enough to pull of something like that. He was acting on impulse or something, just like usual… But what would cause him to have an impulse like that? He was more expecting to have his couch thrown at him than something like a kiss from his enemy! Izaya felt himself blush.

"That shut you up pretty good. Now just go back to work or something and let me watch this movie in peace." Shizuo said with a confident smile on his face.

… Maybe he was that smart… The situation proved to be too much for Izaya as his legs gave up on him. He held on to the couch for balance as he felt his knees hit the floor.

Shizuo turned to look at him, and burst out laughing. "Looks like I win this round, Izaya!"

His NAME again….

"Izaya…? You okay…?" Shizuo waved his hand in front of Izaya's face, but got no response. "Oi! Flea! Snap out of it!"

Izaya shook his head vigorously and managed to stand up on shaky legs, and slowly walked back to his computer desk without a word.

Shizuo briefly wondered if the flea was okay, but then shrugged. He'd be okay. He's always okay in the end. At least this time Shizuo managed to win against the flea. It was a small, but rewarding victory.

But Izaya wasn't okay this time. His mind was reeling in a desperate attempt to figure out why he had just lost control like that. He couldn't ignore the feeling of submission that Shizuo had just forced on him. Izaya needed to be in control of everything. But even as he thought this, there was a small part in the back of his mind that wanted Shizuo to kiss him again. Izaya forced the thought out of his head, but it still returned. Shook his head again to clear his thoughts, but he could still feel the blush on his face.

"Looks like someone's trying to get your attention" The sound of Shizuo's voice came from right behind Izaya, causing him to jump slightly as he was ripped away from his thoughts.

He looked up at the screen, and indeed, Setton and Tanaka Taro—Whom he knew to be Celty and Mikado—were asking if he was still there. Izaya quickly covered the screens with his hands when he realized Shizuo was reading the conversation.

"I thought I told you not to look at my work!" Izaya said sternly.

"Fine, fine…" Shizuo said looking away. "At least you're talking again. I was starting to worry since you never shut up. Did that kiss really freak you out that much? I was just messing with you…"

'That's what I'm supposed to do to you…' Izaya thought with malice. "I hope you get sick from that." He said out loud.

"Yeah, right. I don't get sick." Shizuo said confidently.

Izaya mumbled a single word under his breath. "Inhuman…"

The blonde's eye twitched when the word reached his ears. "Hey, I didn't ask for this curse, flea!" Shizuo approached Izaya again, feeling his anger start to take control of his actions.

Izaya spun around, and stood from his chair, facing Shizuo. "JUST GO AWAY!"

All of the anger that had been building up seemed to fade. The flea never yells like that. If Shizuo didn't know any better, he'd say that Izaya sounded frightened.

"Izaya… Just how sick are you…? You're acting really weird." Shizuo felt genuine concern, but didn't question why. He realized that he cared more about finding out what was going on in Izaya's head rather than why it even mattered to him.

"LEAVE. ME. ALONE." Izaya said, attempting to push Shizuo away. It was a failed attempt, as Shizuo didn't budge even when Izaya used all of his strength. Shizuo realized that Izaya's face was a little red.

"Is your fever back?" He lifted a hand to check Izaya's temperature, but was met with another yell.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Izaya placed his hands on his desk and used his parkour skills to propel himself over the desk, and run into the bathroom.

Izaya rushed past Shizuo. He didn't want to even look at him. He ran as fast as he could into the bathroom and locked the door, knowing full well that the lock wouldn't hold back the monstrous protozoan if he was serious. Izaya turned on the cold water, and splashed it over his face and the back of his neck. He gripped the sink when he heard Shizuo knock on the door.

"Izaya, you okay? Seriously, if this is because I kissed you, don't freak about it! I told you I was just messing with you, jeez!" Izaya could hear genuine concern in his voice, but he didn't care.

'Damn it, I know you weren't serious, but that's now what's bothering me!' Izaya thought to himself. "Shizuo, just leave, okay?"

Shizuo almost had to put his ear to the door to hear Izaya's response. His voice was so quiet… It sounded pitiful. He had no plans to leave the flea like this. Clearly he was upset. Was it really the kiss? Izaya was the one who ever so confidently kissed Shizuo that very afternoon! Why did it bother him so much now? Granted he was sober this time, but still. He waited, and after a few minutes, Izaya opened the door and seemed to freeze on the spot when he saw Shizuo standing outside the door.

"You didn't call me 'Shizu-chan'. That means there's something wrong, right?" Shizuo asked, hoping for a response this time.

"I could say the same to you. You called me by my name instead of just saying 'flea'." He still sounded angry, but at least his voice didn't sound pathetic anymore.

"Hmm. I guess I did, didn't I…?" Shizuo hadn't realized it at all.

"Yes, now will you kindly leave?" Izaya gestured towards the door.

"No. Now come on. Just lay down for a few minutes or something before I get angry and destroy your office." Shizuo said as he slowly walked back to the main section of the office. He strolled over to Izaya's computer desk before turning to look at Izaya.

"Don't even think—" Shizuo gripped on to the desk, still looking at Izaya, who felt his heart skip a beat.

"Shizuo, don't you dare—" Shizuo didn't let Izaya finish his sentence as he started to lift the desk, which held all of Izaya's electronics, still keeping eye contact with the informant.

"Okay, okay, I'll sit down! Just please don't do that! That's expensive and I'm in the middle of something!" Izaya raised his hands in surrender as he walked over to the couch and sat down. "See? Now please let go of the desk!"

He watched carefully as Shizuo gently put the desk down, leaving it and everything on it completely unharmed. Izaya sighed in relief and slumped forward with his head hanging above his knees. He tensed slightly as he felt the couch give when Shizuo sat down next to him.

"Now tell me, why are you acting like this?" Shizuo asked not bothering to hide the curiosity in his voice.

Izaya refused to make eye contact with the man sitting next to him. "You… You just startled me, okay? I'm fine now." Izaya looked at the TV, which was left on Kasuka's movie.

"You're looking a little pale… Do you want the rest of your ootoro?" Shizuo got up and took the food from Izaya's desk and placed it in front of the informant as he sat back down. "Here."

Izaya looked at the ootoro on the table. It didn't seem to have its usual appeal. Izaya looked away. "No, thanks."

"Okay, something is really wrong with you." Shizuo said.

Suddenly, Izaya felt Shizuo's hand on his forehead. He flinched slightly at his touch, but decided not to resist this time. Maybe it was just because he was weak at the moment, but for some reason, Izaya wanted the physical contact. And Shizuo complied as he moved his hand back, running his fingers through Izaya's hair. Izaya's cough started up again, making the pain in his chest return. He could feel Shizuo's hand move down the back of his neck and start to rub his back as he coughed, trying to comfort him. The cough got a little worse before it stopped and Izaya took a few gasping breaths. Soon enough, Izaya felt light headed. He felt himself fall into Shizuo's lap, and immediately he pushed away trying to sit upright again only to be stopped by Shizuo. Izaya let himself fall back onto Shizuo's lap, a little more concerned with catching his breath than the fact that he was lying on his enemy.

After finally getting his breathing back to normal, Izaya spoke again. "Why are you doing this?"

"Dunno. You just seem kind of fragile when you're sick." Shizuo said continuing to rub Izaya's back.

"I don't need your pity." Izaya's voice was clear and stern even though he didn't make any attempts to resist the comfort provided by Shizuo.

Shizuo continued to gently stroke Izaya's back even after the informant had fallen asleep. Shizuo was lost in thought and didn't even notice himself start playing with Izaya's soft hair. He really didn't know why he was trying to comfort his enemy like this. Was it pity? Or was it something else? Shizuo couldn't be sure. All he knew was that he had to do this, and Shizuo always followed his instincts.


	12. Chapter 12

The sun poured in through the windows, causing Izaya to wake up with a headache. He groaned, and reached his hand to his head realizing that there was already a hand there. The informant paused when his hand touched Shizuo's. He looked up to see that the blonde was still fast asleep, looking rather peaceful. Izaya slipped out from the couch carefully so he wouldn't wake Shizuo, and made his way to the kitchen. He had bought supplies to make omelets while he was out buying the sushi last night.

Shizuo woke up to the smell of omelets in the air. He looked down to see his lap was empty, that is until a plate of food was shoved into his view. Izaya walked around Shizuo and sat down with his own breakfast, putting a few feet between himself and Shizuo. The blonde picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of the omelet, which was surprisingly delicious.

"Hey, this isn't half bad!" Shizuo announced smiling slightly. Izaya didn't respond. Again. "Izaya, would you just answer me? The whole silent thing doesn't suit you."

Izaya sighed, not really in the mood to deal with this new version of Shizuo. It made his head hurt even more. "Shizu-chan, I'll be frank, I'm not a morning person, so don't pester me right when I wake up." It was a lie of course. Izaya's job required him to be aware of his surroundings at all times.

The informant stood and brought his food over to his desk, where he turned on his computer and continued to eat.

"You know," Shizuo began "I've heard that being on the computer for a long time is bad for you."

"So is smoking." Izaya replied without missing a beat. "Why do you care?"

"No reason…"

'Seriously, this is getting annoying' Izaya thought. He started to feel his cough come back, and tried to swallow it down to avoid having Shizuo look at him with that look of pity. It seemed that wasn't going to happen as he felt let out a single cough that lead into yet another coughing fit. He could see Shizuo looking at him out of the corner of his eye, but his phone ringing drew his attention away from the blonde's reaction. It was Shinra.

"Hello?" Izaya answered the phone as he finished coughing. He voice was a little hoarse, so he cleared his throat.

"Izaya! You sound terrible! Are you okay?" Shinra's obnoxious voice came through the phone.

"I'm fine, I was just coughing a little bit again."

"As long as you're okay. I can't make it in to see you two today, but I wanted to check on you while I had the chance! How's Shizuo?"

"He's all right. Don't worry Shinra~" Izaya forced himself to sound cheerful, and Shinra seemed to believe it.

"Great! You two haven't been fighting too much, have you?"

"No, no. I'm simply too tired to fight with anyone at the moment, Shinra!" That was true.

"All right! That's good to hear. Just let me know if anything happens, okay?"

"Will do. Bye!"

"Bye!"

Izaya ended the call and stood up to bring his plate to the sink, noticing Shizuo stand up to do the same. Izaya took the plate from Shizuo and placed both plates in the sink. He was about to turn around when he felt Shizuo standing directly behind him. Shizuo's arms wrapped around Izaya from behind, preventing him from moving away. Izaya could feel himself blush again. 'This is getting ridiculous' He thought, but he didn't struggle against Shizuo. The taller man's embrace was warm and gentle—something that Izaya never would have expected Shizuo to be capable of.

Shizuo watched Izaya place the plates in the sink, and positioned himself directly behind him. Last night, Izaya had let Shizuo get so close, and Shizuo was curious to see if he could do it again. More than that, for some reason Shizuo wanted to be close to Izaya. He carefully wrapped his arms around Izaya from behind, hoping that he wouldn't react the same as yesterday. He could feel Izaya's muscles tense slightly, but after a few seconds of standing perfectly still, Shizuo felt Izaya relax, without any further struggle. Relief filled Shizuo when Izaya relaxed, but he still felt unsure about this reaction. He looked down to see that Izaya was blushing.

"What, have you given up that easily?" Shizuo asked, not sure if he had phrased the question right.

"Not exactly…" Izaya sighed. "I just know I can't fight you off when I'm sick."

The answer sounded reasonable enough. "Then why are you blushing?"

"I'm sick! I'm a little light headed is all!" Izaya went to step away from Shizuo, and to his surprise, Shizuo stepped back and let him walk away. As soon as he stepped away from Shizuo, his vision blurred and he fell backwards to feel the blonde quickly catch him. Izaya pushed away as soon as he felt Shizuo touch him.

"I don't need you to help me. I'm just a little dizzy." He said flatly, grabbing on to the counter for support. He waited until his vision was back to normal and slowly he wobbled back to the couch, where he collapsed, laying on his back. He placed his forearm over his eyes, attempting to shield them from the light. He felt the cushion sink right above his head as Shizuo sat down.

"Would you stop following me around like that? It's really annoying." Izaya said sounding irritated.

Shizuo looked down at Izaya on the couch. 'He looks almost… Cute…?' Was that how Shizuo saw the flea now? As cute? Shizuo had never spent so much time alone with Izaya before, and it seemed that there was much more to him than the typical Izaya he was used to.

"It's kind of fun to mess with you when you've lost your composure." That was how Shizuo felt, right? That's why he continued toying with Izaya. Or was it something else?

Izaya lifted his arm enough to shoot a glare at Shizuo, before he replaced his arm over his face again. "That's what I'm supposed to do to you." He sounded a little disappointed. "My head hurts…" Izaya's voice was barely a whisper.

Without a second thought, Shizuo ran his fingers through Izaya's soft hair. Once again, Izaya tensed for a moment before relaxing.

"Why are you doing this…?" Izaya asked almost as quietly as the last time he spoke.

Now it was Shizuo's turn to be silent. He really didn't have an answer to that question. Izaya sat up and looked at him with a blank expression, before his eyes suddenly widened.

"You're bleeding again." Izaya said reaching for the bandages that were left out on the table. 'He must have re-opened the wound from moving around too much… He really doesn't feel pain, does he…?' Izaya thought as he helped Shizuo take off his shirt.

Izaya unwrapped a new package of bandages, and re-dressed the wound. As he worked, he couldn't stop himself from admiring Shizuo. One would expect him to be a mass of muscles considering his strength; however, instead he was fairly thin and nicely toned. For some reason, Izaya was suddenly attracted to Shizuo…

"Flea? You listening? Izaya?" Shizuo's voice forced its way into Izaya's head.

"What?" Izaya mentally shook his head to stop those odd thoughts.

"I said you should rest. I can handle this." His voice was heavy with concern.

"Aw, is Shizu-chan worried about me?" Izaya attempted to sound normal, but he could feel his voice shake a little.

"Actually, it seems more like you're worried about me."

Izaya paused for a second before going back to wrapping the bandages around Shizuo's side.

"To tell you the truth…" Izaya began "I really don't know why I'm bothering to do this…" His voice trailed off slightly.

"The great Orihara Izaya doesn't know something? I'm shocked."

The informant finished wrapping up Shizuo's wound and put the bandages away before going to make some more tea.

"You drink a lot of tea, don't you?" Shizuo called from the couch.

Izaya spun around and smiled. "Hah! I practically live off of green tea and ootoro!"

Shizuo stood up, facing Izaya. "Okay, that's new… You're smiling…"

"I smile a lot Shizu-chan! You just aren't around me enough to see it!" His smile didn't fade as he spoke.

Shizuo just stared at him. "You do realize that we tend to run into each other practically every other day, right? I see you around plenty."

Shizuo closed the gap between them and stood a few inches in front of Izaya. Shizuo placed his hand on the back of Izaya's head, and pressed his own forehead to Izaya's.

"And to answer your question… Yes, I am worried about you. I don't know why, but I am." Shizuo spoke as softly as he possibly could.

"I'm not the one with a bullet wound…" Izaya's voice was shaky, and he could feel his heart beat faster. 'Why do I feel like this…? Shizuo is so close…' he thought.

Then Shizuo placed his other hand on Izaya's lower back, pulling the smaller man closer. He could hear the way Izaya's voice shook, and instinctively felt the need to comfort him. Shizuo rested his chin on the top of Izaya's head, keeping his hands in the same spot.

Izaya allowed himself to be pulled closer to Shizuo. He rested his head on the blonde's bare chest, listening to his heart beat. The slow rhythm calmed Izaya's own heart and he closed his eyes, while his arms loosely wrapped around Shizuo's waist.

A sharp knock on the door brought the pair back to reality, causing them to jump apart. Both of them were blushing now, realizing what had just happened.

"Shit, who the hell is that?" Izaya ran to his desk and turned on the screen that was connected to a camera outside his door. The screen showed the familiar face of Yagari Namie, looking as irritated as ever.

She looked into the camera and yelled into the speaker. "Hey! If you're sick in there, let me do some work for you! I need the money, you know?"

Izaya's gaze snapped back to where Shizuo stood. "Hide. Upstairs… NOW!"

Shizuo looked at him questioningly before grabbing his shirt and vest, running up the stairs to the upper level of Izaya's office. The informant made his way to the door, opened it, and put on his usual face.

"I can handle things here, Namie! I didn't think you'd miss me so much! It's only been a couple days!" Izaya said teasingly.

"Well, if you don't have any work for me, then at least give me a paid vacation! Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to make a living around your schedule?" She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Izaya.

"Okay, okay! Come on in." Izaya lead Namie over to his desk, which has gotten rather messy over the past few days without Namie there nagging him to clean. He sifted through piles of papers looking for his wallet which he remembered leaving on his desk. He heard Namie sigh behind him.

"How do you live like that?" She asked sounding disgusted.

"I've been sick, remember? I don't feel like cleaning at the moment… Ah! There it is!" He smiled in triumph as he pulled his wallet out from underneath a psychology book that he had left out. He grabbed a wad of bills from his wallet, handing the money over to Namie. "That should do for the next few days, right?"

"Yeah…" She said looking closely at the informant. "You sure you don't need any help? You're looking a little paler than usual…"

"I told you, I can handle it! Enjoy your time off. Why don't you go spend some quality time with that brother of yours or something?" He grinned when her expression turned sour.

She glared at him for a moment before speaking again. "Whatever. Just don't overwork yourself. I need someone to give me an income."

"Oh, Namie~! I'm hurt! You care more about money that you do about me!" Izaya made a gesture like he had been stabbed in the stomach with a knife. He pulled out the imaginary knife with a groan, and offered it to her. "I believe this is yours!"

Namie rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I'll see you in a few days then." And with that, she left.


	13. Chapter 13

"She's lovely." Shizuo said sarcastically, now descending the stairs.

"Ah yes, but I do enjoy her cynical comments from time to time!" Izaya's eyes met Shizuo's, and suddenly he remembered what they had been doing before Namie interrupted. Both of them blushed yet again and broke eye contact. Shizuo looked at the floor, while Izaya turned to face the window.

Izaya cleared his throat to break the awkward silence. "Well, I should try to straighten this up now I guess…"

Izaya needed anything to keep himself busy long enough to let the blush on his face disappear. He organized a few papers back into their files, without looking up at Shizuo. A few minutes later, the informant deemed himself ready to face Shizuo, but when he looked up he realized that Shizuo was in the same spot, still looking at the floor.

Izaya approached Shizuo, feeling a little concerned. "Shizu-chan, you okay? Helloo~? Earth to Shizuo!" Izaya knocked on Shizuo's head.

Shizuo blinked and raised his head to look at Izaya, finally realizing that the informant was standing in front of him. "Uh… Sorry."

Izaya's arms flew up into the air. "It lives!" he announced.

The informant sighed again when Shizuo started to return to his catatonic state. "You wanna just watch TV or something…?"

Shizuo smiled weakly. "Yeah, that's fine." The blonde followed Izaya back to the couch, where they began watching another of Kasuka's movies. Apparently it was part of a marathon of sorts.

They watched the movie in silence, and soon enough, Shizuo had fallen asleep. Izaya watched Shizuo, completely ignoring the predictable movie. He was much more fascinated with the steady rise and fall of Shizuo's chest. The blonde had shifted his position to lay down about five minutes after they started watching TV, and he seemed to fall asleep almost instantly. 'He must be even more tired than I am' Izaya thought. It was still early in the afternoon, but the pair hadn't been sleeping all that well. Izaya quickly realized that Shizuo still had his sunglasses on. Did he ever take those things off other than in a fight? Izaya hopped off the couch and kneeled in front of Shizuo, his own face only a few inches from the blonde's. Carefully, Izaya removed Shizuo's sunglasses and placed them on the coffee table.

The informant turned back to stare at the face of the man he had hated for nearly seven years. Why did this man make him feel so weird? Why did he feel safe enough to drop his guard around the man who had sworn to kill him when they had first met? Izaya's eyes traveled to look at Shizuo's lips. The informant gently leaned forward and touched his lips to Shizuo's for a moment, being careful to not wake the blonde. Izaya turned off the TV, and nestled himself in the L corner of the couch so that he could still be close to Shizuo without actually touching him. He used his own arm as a pillow, and drifted into a light sleep next to his 'enemy'.


	14. Chapter 14

An hour passed before Izaya opened his eyes again. The informant shifted slightly, feeling something touch the top of his head. He soon realized that it was the top of Shizuo's head. The blonde had moved a little closer to Izaya while asleep. Not only that, but Izaya could feel Shizuo's hand placed lightly over his own. He didn't move. Izaya wanted to stay in this position for as long as possible because he could hear Shizuo's steady breathing through the silence of the office. It calmed him to know that the blonde was so close… All Izaya wanted to do was lay there with his small hand underneath Shizuo's larger hand.

All too soon, Izaya felt Shizuo remove his hand and sit up. Izaya sighed, flipping over onto his back to look up at the blonde, who was now rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

Izaya smiled. "You look like a kid waking up for school."

"Whatever…" He grumbled back. "Do you have any coffee or something…?"

"You read my mind, Shizu-chan!" Izaya leapt off of the couch, feeling considerably better than he had been feeling the past two days, but he was still a little light headed by the time he had gotten on his feet.

Shizuo saw Izaya wobble a little when he stood up, and instinctively the blonde reached up to catch Izaya.

Before Shizuo had time to ask the question, the informant gave him an answer. "I'm fine. I just got up a little too fast."

Shizuo watched carefully as the informant made his way into the kitchen, seeming to be keeping his balance well enough.

Izaya waited patiently for the coffee to brew, noticing as Shizuo got up from the couch to stand next to him.

"How do you like your coffee?" Izaya asked.

"Just a little sugar is fine."

Izaya reached up into a cupboard and pulled out a small jar of sugar. "And here I was half expecting you to ask for milk." He smiled, pouring two cups of coffee. Shizuo added the sugar, while Izaya drank it black.

He only took a few sips of coffee when Izaya felt his headache come back. Izaya crossed his arms over on the counter and rested his head on his arms. His vision blanked out for a few seconds, but he was still able to keep his balance.

"You okay…?" Shizuo asked quietly.

"Headache…" was all Izaya could manage to say.

"From being sick?"

Izaya shook his head slowly. "No, stress… Comes with the job, you know? That's kind of why I hired Namie… A little less to worry about around here…?"

Izaya felt the familiar sensation of Shizuo's hand on the back of his head. This time though, he didn't tense up at the touch. Izaya couldn't remember the last time he let someone get this close to him. He didn't even let his sisters this close most of the time. Shizuo was now standing directly behind Izaya, gently moving his hands over Izaya's neck, shoulders, and back. It felt so good… His headache was starting to go away…

Shizuo could clearly see that Izaya was in pain, so he did the only thing he knew how to do. If it was stress causing Izaya's head to hurt, then this was all he could do. He was trying his best to be as gentle as possible, fully aware of what his strength was capable of doing to the man in front of him. It was then that Shizuo noticed just how small Izaya's build really was. Actually, he wasn't much taller than Celty…

Izaya straightened up again, holding his head with his right hand. "I feel better now, thanks. I'm just gonna go lay down for a few more minutes. There's more food in the fridge if you're hungry."

Shizuo stood and sipped the coffee for a little while, and soon after he finished, he looked in the fridge. There was a lot of left over sushi, so Shizuo ate a few pieces before going to check on Izaya.

The blonde looked down at the couch to see that Izaya had fallen asleep again. He had a slight blush across his face, and he was smiling.

"And you said I looked like a kid?" Shizuo mused.

Shizuo watched Izaya sleep for a minute before deciding to take a shower. Izaya's office was quite livable… The only thing it lacked was a real bed. But the couch was large and comfortable enough. Besides, he imagined that while Izaya was here, he didn't do much sleeping. Shizuo undressed and carefully removed some of the bandages before stepping into the shower.

Izaya woke up just in time to hear the water shut off in the bathroom. He went back to his desk to tidy up a bit more while he waited for Shizuo. The blonde soon came out for the bathroom drying his hair with a towel. His shirt was still bloody, so he left it off.

"Oh good, you're done. My turn!" Izaya skipped past Shizuo and headed into the bathroom for his own shower.

The hot water felt good on Izaya's skin. He stood under the showerhead after cleaning himself and let the water fall on top of his head, effectively washing away his anxiety. Once he was satisfied, he stepped out of the shower and dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist.

'Shit, I forgot to grab clean clothes…' He was still a little out of it after all.

Shizuo saw Izaya emerge from the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The blonde couldn't stop himself from staring at the informant's slender form. Izaya smiled, apparently noticing Shizuo's staring. Shizuo quickly looked away, and waited until Izaya had turned around to go up the stairs before allowing his gaze to return to the informant.

Soon after, Izaya descended the stairs fully dressed again, looking at Shizuo.

"That's better. Did you enjoy the show, Shizu-chan?" Izaya teased.

Shizuo blinked twice before looking away, a light blush appearing on his face. He looked a little flustered.

Izaya gasped comically. "You did, didn't you~?" Izaya was now standing in front of Shizuo and was about to continue teasing when Shizuo's voice stopped him.

"Izaya…." He sounded serious, and his voice was quiet.

The blonde's hand wrapped around Izaya's, pulling him close. Izaya allowed himself to be pulled in, not even wanting to resist Shizuo anymore. When he felt Shizuo's lips meet his own, the only thing he could think to do was to return the kiss, gripping Shizuo's hand tighter as he leaned in closer. Their lips parted, leaving them both panting as Shizuo draped his arms around Izaya's waist. Izaya closed his eyes and rested his head on Shizuo's chest.

"What brought this on, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked, listening to Shizuo's heart beat quicken with how own.

"Hell if I know…" He replied.

"Is this all part of some elaborate scheme to throw me out the window and crush me under a vending machine or two?" Izaya placed his hands on Shizuo's chest, and looked up into the blonde's face.

Shizuo smiled. "You and I both know that I don't plan anything ahead of time, ever."

"So you just got this sudden urge to kiss me that you simply couldn't resist?"

"Just stop talking" Shizuo kissed him again.

Izaya broke away to look at the man holding him. "Does this mean you don't want to kill me anymore, Shizu-chan?" He smiled.

"I guess…"

Izaya backed away from Shizuo, taking hold of his hand. He led the blond to the couch where he pushed Shizuo over and straddled his hips, being careful not to put any weight on his bullet wound. He leaned over Shizuo and kissed him back.

"Shizu-chan…" Izaya moved so that he was practically lying on top of Shizuo, looking to the side. "I'm not sure how to say this, but… Well… I don't exactly hate you right now…"

"I don't either, Izaya."

Izaya smiled at the way Shizuo said his name. "I…" He paused. "I have a confession to make… We… We've known each other for so long… I know how I feel when I hate someone, but with you it's always been different. I know I felt some strong feeling when I met you…"

"What do you mean by that…?" Shizuo raised an eyebrow.

"I know I felt some strong feeling when I met you, and I assumed that it was hate, but it still didn't seem right… I always rationalized the way I felt by saying that you're unpredictable, but when I think about it, you're probably the most predictable person I know… You're the only one I could provoke and get the exact reaction I expected…"

"Izaya…?"

"You probably didn't know this, but when I'm drunk, I act on impulse. And clearly, I acted on a specific feeling that I couldn't consciously acknowledge."

"Izaya I—"

"And whenever you say my name like that I feel weird." He sat up again to look at Shizuo's face. "I think… I… I think I lov—"

"I understand. I feel the same way." Shizuo grabbed Izaya's shoulders and flipped their position so that his body was hovering over Izaya's. Izaya looked to the side, and Shizuo leaned in and kissed the side of his head.

"I love you, Izaya" Shizuo whispered into Izaya's ear, causing the informant to shiver. Hearing the word out in the open from Shizuo with such seriousness made him tense up slightly. He turned back to look Shizuo in the eyes, exhaling deeply and relaxing again. Finally. A word had been given to his feelings…

"I… I love you too… Shizu-chan."

**The End. **


End file.
